Winter has arrived

Lade - There was definitely an end of season feel to proceedings this weekend as the dreaded north-westerly wind delivered a chilly blast of air across the peninsula. It really felt as though winter had arrived. Starlings were checked for Waxwings, Dunnocks for rare accentors and the foreshore flotsam for Snow Buntings lurking amongst the Pied Wagtails, Mipits and Turnstones, but all to no avail; things were that desperate I even started interrogating Stonechats and Herring Gulls for those dreaded racial splits...
  However, the weather was the main talking point of the weekend as following weeks of near drought conditions the heavens opened on Friday afternoon/evening delivering a veritable deluge; infact, according to the Kerton Road Café Weather Station an impressive 45mm of wet stuff was recorded in the rain gauge.
  Another oddity of an odd weekend went to a trio of `golfers` hacking golf balls into south lake from the aerial mound scattering the Coots and ducks. After a polite word informing them that the lakes are now a part of the RSPB nature reserve and not a driving range (followed by a more strident one after receiving a volley of abuse) they eventually moved on...

                               A selection of Lade Bay waders

  Sunday kicked off with a frost and glorious sunshine, but by afternoon the cloud returned and the cold north-westerly steadily increased. Mrs PT joined us for a circuit of the local patch where the highlight belonged to a clutch of close waders on the sands and an inquisitive Marsh Harrier that gave Barney the once over!
  Elsewhere locally the Cattle Egret remained on the fields at Boulderwall, Great Egret White Egrets hit a record 17 in number at the roost and a couple of Jack Snipes showed intermittently from Firth hide, along with a variety of Caspian Gulls.